Our buckets are beautiful and sustainable, and while they require owners to replenish them monthly (with opt-in text or email reminders), they are significantly less than buckets installed and managed by local abatement companies.
Mosquito buckets are the only effective method of mosquito control that is also safe for pollinators (caterpillars, bees, butterflies) and insects (fireflies, ladybugs).
Here is how they work:
Bucket + water + Bti disk + grass + stick (+ monthly maintenance)
Buckets use a mosquito-specific toxin, B.t.i. (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis)–a naturally occurring bacterium found in soil and known to kill mosquito larvae–that prevents eggs from developing. Water and grass clippings (or other yard waste) release carbon dioxide to attract female mosquitoes, who lay eggs in the water. Other insects who may have made their way, inadvertently or not, into the bucket can use the stick to climb out.
All spray applications—even “natural” and “organic”—risk drifting, spreading to unintended areas, nearby plants and lawns, even neighboring yards, consumed and traversed by other creatures, including pets and people. Most companies that offer synthetic sprays are applying pyrethroids, a synethetic chemical related to pyrethrins, derived fro chrysanthemum flowers.
Let us be clear: pyrethrins and pyrethroids are not identical. We have experience with local companies claiming their products “green,” that they use “geranium oil” or “botanical spray,” language that suggest sustainability and safety but masks the actual chemical compositions, especially tricky when their terms refer to the sites of application (they typically spray on foundation plants and shrubs), not the components. Ask for the Safety Data Sheets.
These sprays contaminate our stormwater, drinking water, and soils. They are highly toxic to birds and aquatic life.
According to entomologist Doug Tallamy, commercial mosquito sprays–popular, expensive, toxic methods of reduction–only kill about 10% of adult mosquitos. Mosquito buckets eliminate up to 85% of larvae, addressing the problem at its source, in ways much safer and sustainable for all of us.